During my last year of teaching I decided to take on directing the fifth- and sixth-grade after-school jazz band on top of my regular high school teaching schedule.
February Repertoire Update Featuring Larry Clark and Excelcia Music Publishing
This month we’ve added 17 large ensemble titles to the SmartMusic repertoire library, including pieces for concert band, jazz ensemble, string orchestra, and choir.
Tips For Your Jazz Band Guitarist
With very little background in playing guitar, and no background in jazz guitar pedagogy, many band directors find themselves at a loss on how to help their jazz band guitarist.
Music Ed Mentor Podcast #041: Starting an Elementary Music Program from Scratch
Today our guest is my friend and elementary music guru, Jessica Peresta. You can discover her blog and online community at the Domestic Musician.
New SmartMusic Wins “Best Tools for Schools” Award
In January 2014, classic SmartMusic for the iPad received School Band and Orchestra magazine’s “Best Tools for Schools” award, in the category of Best Concert Band/Orchestra Teaching Tool.
Suicide Awareness and Prevention
My experience with suicide began in 1988 with the loss of one of my students who was suffering from depression and anorexia, and continued with the loss of another student in 1997 whose family life had taken a jolting turn for him earlier that year.
Instrumental Teachers in General Music: Teaching Outside Your Comfort Zone?
Let’s set the stage: you have an instrumental performance degree and a teaching degree in band or orchestra. After graduation, you find yourself working as a long-term substitute teaching band or orchestra.
SmartMusic and College Aural Skills: An Adventure in Ensuring Practice
One of the main goals of an aural skills class is audiation – or the ability to hear music in one’s head before performing the music.
Music Ed Mentor Podcast #040: Festival Preparation
Festivals are a fantastic tool for both recruiting and retaining students. They can help engage your more advanced musicians while providing others with an incentive to improve.
Featured Content: Count the Stars by Andy Beck
Andy Beck’s Count the Stars is a tender song of remembrance featuring a poignant original text combined with Latin phrases from the Requiem Mass.